As we come to the end of another year, you might find yourself thinking about all those New Year's resolutions that never quite made it past the first week of January. If you'd like to have another try at making that new habit stick in the new year, then a new study may hold the answer, Stylistreports.

It turns out that you could increase your odds of succeeding if you try your new habit at a particular time of day: in the morning, not the evening.

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In a study just published in the journal Health Psychology, researchers asked 48 students to try and create a stretching routine for 90 days. Half were told to do so in the morning, the remainder in the evening, while being monitored over three months.

Weirdly enough, those who were asked to stretch in the morning were shown to pick up their new habit more quickly, achieving "automaticity" – the point at which something becomes a true habit – almost 50 days earlier than the evening team.

While the team isn't clear on why the participants found it easier to adopt their new habit first thing, saliva tests revealed their levels of the hormone cortisol were higher in the morning, which may have helped spur them into action.

Regardless, it might be worth setting your alarm a little earlier if you want to try something new.

And remember, previous studies have shown that it takes an average of 21 days to form a new habit, so don't lose heart too quickly.